Absolutely Ridiculous Wars

[Polisurgist]

The Napoleon AI is a dick, and this kind of thing happens if the AI has committed to domination but is also weak. They don't have to be especially mad at you to declare war; when war is the strategy and not something you dole out as punishment, you're going to end up declaring on someone who was friendly to you once as well. And in the situation he's in; weaker army, stronger navy, opponent that relies on sea resources, continually plundering trade routes and pillaging resources is not a half bad way to keep the bills paid.

 

[Js_9001]

I raged recently when i played interesting map on emperor as Venice - got decent start location, grabbed 2 GLs(library at 42 turn) Colossus Mausoleum HG Stonehenge etc.
Also gone piety and had Jesuit Education
I really liked the map, so i started it again, but this time moved literally one tile to get a bit better start location to get cows.
BAM GL gone at 37 in faraway land!
Reload and squeeze every hammer and chop everything
BAM Lighthouse gone 2 turns before i get it.
Reload and get only 3 key wonders
BAM Lizzy get Jesuit Eductaion, when last time she got Sacred Sites.

It was like ai was reloading with me and tried everything to piss me off

I think that's a lesson to you to not reload for such a small thing.

Also about France, they're obviously a nation of pirates who go around raiding undefended fishing boats for plunder, then avoid conflict with war ships.

 

[redwings1340]

Well, the AI probably isn't doing this intentionally, but lets see what France has gotten out of this war.

1) gold from pillaging all your whales
2) set the tech leader back in to a rebellion
3) probably some gold from pillaging cargo ships
4) minimal risk to his own ships and troops
5) probably very little risk to his own cargo ships, trades, and resources at this point.
6) few diplomatic repercussions because he isn't taking cities and people still think of him as weak.

Now, how much of this strategy was intentional on Napoleon's part because of brilliant ai programming? Sadly, probably not a huge amount of it. Still though, I wouldn't call this war pointless for him, because it seems to have worked out in his favor quite well.

 

[redwings1340]

Also, Napoleon is a warmonger and you were friends with everyone. Something tells me you were friends with a few people Napoleon hated, which carries a significant diplo modifier. That probably influenced his decision to go to war with you.

 

[Polisurgist]

Also, Napoleon is a warmonger and you were friends with everyone. Something tells me you were friends with a few people Napoleon hated, which carries a significant diplo modifier. That probably influenced his decision to go to war with you.

That and if an AI is deceptive, you won't necessarily see all the diplomacy hits you have with them when you're talking. Like F#%KING GREECE.

 

[Scott Jegg]

I nearly threw the computer out the window.

Proof that this war was utterly effective.

I guess what you should really be annoyed at is having your weaknesses shown up.

 

[katfish]

I'm quite interested. Do ai actually bribe each other to DoW someone? I never got bribed for for war, just usual asking for gangbang.

 

[Uncle_Joe]

I'd love it if the AI does that to me lol

That was my thought too lol. After 7 games and only one AI DoW on me, I've shelved the game until the Fall patch.

I wish I saw more stuff like this because this is EXACTLY what should be happening IMO if you have a lot of unprotected goodies that an AI nation can take/pillage/interfere with...

 

[Light Cleric]

I'm quite interested. Do ai actually bribe each other to DoW someone? I never got bribed for for war, just usual asking for gangbang.

I don't think that they bribe each other but they do ask one another about going to war with the human player. Would be kind of interesting if they did.

And yes, the AI needs to be more aggressive. Not necessarily the PSYCHOTIC Fall patch AI(which I think would be a disaster with the World Congress) but somewhere in the middle.

 

[bison21]

How would you know an AI was bribed to declare war on you? I know you can get joint or chain-declarations, and ever so often your long-hatred neighbour is NOT the one declaring war, but rather his friend. Could that be a bribe? I'd be surprised if the AI was programmed to do this tbh.

 

[Koiranputki]

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes the AI just does the stupidest effing moves that can ruin the game for me.

I just had a game as Sweden, where all my Luxuries were whales. I had a massive amount to trade, and I was friends with everyone, my army was quite powerful as well and I had pretty much every wonder.

Out of no where, for no reason, no rationality, France declares war on me, and spend pretty much 60 turns doing nothing but raiding my fishing boats. We had only met the turn before, and I hadn't even DONE anything war like to anyone.

Where it gets incredibly stupid though, is the fact that France was an entire continent away. His military was pathetically weak according to the demographics and he didn't even TRY to land any troops or take any cities. I wouldn't have minded it, but the problem was it dropped my happiness down to -24, leaving my empire completely stagnant, I'm fighting off rebels and turning the game into a boring mess. I fight off and destroy most of his frigates which are pretty much doing nothing but raiding my fishing ships, and he REFUSES peace.

I wouldn't have minded if it was an actual invasion force coming, troops coming to land, actual battles- but NO, it was just his lousy frigates doing nothing but raiding my fishing boats. He didn't even bombard any of my cities or soldiers. Nope, just staying JUST out of range and raiding my fishing boats. If it was a human player, OKAY I'd get it. But last time I checked, the AI isn't this smart.

I don't know if it's bad programming or what, but it's the only time where I actually had a case of absolute gamer rage, I nearly threw the computer out the window. (Glad I didn't)

Seriously, I absolutely hate this kind of bull when wars happen for NO REASON, or for the AI to do absolutely nothing but rancidly annoy you.

Anyone else have stories like this of incredible game breaking stupidity?

Heh, heh....I guess I agree with most of the other posters here....in that situation I would have thought it perfectly logical for France to think you have to be taken out....

If you are relying on sea resources, you can take a chance and wait, but don't be surprised if you have those problems, and be prepared to have to get your navy up to speed fast.

In one of my games as Venice I had a nice early trade route through the sea to a CS....but the Barbarians kept pillaging it.... frustrating, yes, ...'bad programming'...I don't think so...I had to quickly get Navigation and get a Frigate over there....

What I find really stupid is when you are attacking an AI city and the AI suddenly capitulates and offers you the city in settlement..... That may be OK if it's an easy city to capture, but this was a city surrounded by jungle and rivers and I was expecting quite a 'war of attrition' to get it.... and it was kind of important for me as well.... I had founded a city a little further on, centred on Lake Victoria...I was playing as Isabella.

In those circumstances had I been in the position of the AI player, I would have fought on even if eventually the city would have fallen...as a diversionary tactic. But...in this case, Vladimir...[Oops...Casimir...] must have "reasoned" that I had a stronger military than he had... Ergo, "capitulate and make the problem go away"... Well, I guess his 'strategy' did work in a sense...I got bored and moved on to a new game...

 

[Polisurgist]

How would you know an AI was bribed to declare war on you? I know you can get joint or chain-declarations, and ever so often your long-hatred neighbour is NOT the one declaring war, but rather his friend. Could that be a bribe? I'd be surprised if the AI was programmed to do this tbh.

To know it's a bribe, you'd have to keep a very close eye on their resources leading up to the war. Chain declarations are actually sometimes an effect of the AI taking into account how stretched an opponent is; they're more likely to declare war on you if they see you're already in another war and might not be able to defend both fronts. So if five civs are close to declaring on you, then one actually does, that might make the difference that gets the other four involved.

They'll also at least ask one another (or you) if they'll help too.

 

[Xiao Xiong]

Well, I guess his 'strategy' did work in a sense...I got bored and moved on to a new game...

Very successful!

He will rule until the end of time in his save file! His people have been saved from The Bloodthirsty. They can now forevermore build their meandering roads, chop their forests, and endlessly rebuild tile improvements over top of tile improvements with nearly infinite happiness.

Long live the king!

 

[Callonia]

Sounds like successful war on Napoleon's part. He's poking you with a stick and causing you great amount of pains. Although I think its dumb luck for napoleon but successful is successful and I cannot deny what I have read.

 

[Cao Cao Mengde]

I think that's the part that's bugging me the most. We all know the AI is NOT that clever.

Shame.

 

[Polisurgist]

I think that's the part that's bugging me the most. We all know the AI is NOT that clever.

Shame.

I can't tell you how much I love the constant complaint of "The AI is so stupid because it keeps doing this thing that makes me lose."

 

[kamikazees]

I once took capitols from 3 civs on my continent, including taking Arabia down to a single city, which was a flood plains/coastal/river city. After getting "the end is near" speech (he had a single warrior left), I took peace with him, sent several trade routes into that city and went after the last capitol (held by Sweden). I had a huge army.

10 turns later, the peace deal expires and Harun DoWs me! I lost all the trade routes to him, and he used the warrior to plunder 2 more that were going to nearby city states. My economy tanked. I had to delay my war with Gustov, eliminate Harun entirely and build more trade routes. I like to think he employed the "scortched earth" strategy on purpose.

 

[Polisurgist]

10 turns later, the peace deal expires and Harun DoWs me! I lost all the trade routes to him, and he used the warrior to plunder 2 more that were going to nearby city states. My economy tanked. I had to delay my war with Gustov, eliminate Harun entirely and build more trade routes. I like to think he employed the "scortched earth" strategy on purpose.

That's how the AI ragequits, I guess.

 

[kb27787]

I have yet seen an AI be THAT smart but they do pillage whatever they can get away with...

However I'd have to question why you expanded so much/ neglected happiness buildings when up to 20+ happiness is solely from trade deals? (you know once the AIs decide to hate you and stop/ask for unreasonable amounts on those deals, usually when ideologies come into play, your empire will tank anyway)

It wouldn't be so crippling if you were sitting on excess happiness of 20 or so before he DoW'd you... those work boats take only 1-2 turns to build at that point and you can simply rebuild them once you've sunk his ships.

 

[katfish]

I have yet seen an AI be THAT smart but they do pillage whatever they can get away with...

However I'd have to question why you expanded so much/ neglected happiness buildings when up to 20+ happiness is solely from trade deals? (you know once the AIs decide to hate you and stop/ask for unreasonable amounts on those deals, usually when ideologies come into play, your empire will tank anyway)

It wouldn't be so crippling if you were sitting on excess happiness of 20 or so before he DoW'd you... those work boats take only 1-2 turns to build at that point and you can simply rebuild them once you've sunk his ships.

On emperor i often neglect happiness buildings up to renaissance\industrial eras getting by on luxuries. Ideologies and Protectionism can really help on that front.